Anthem of the Angels
by PsuremSpecial
Summary: (AU) Within the city's streets, a killer known as Koh runs free, cutting off the faces of his poor victims as a trophy. His horrifying crimes have not only sent the police after him, but more mystical forces are put into the chase. Two certain people find themselves in the mortal world, a place they have not been in decades, for a chance to live again. Everything is at a price...
1. Chapter 1 - Across The Line

**Psychopomps - (from the Greek word ψυχοπομπός - psuchopompos, literally meaning the "guide of souls") are creatures, spirits, angels, or deities in many religions whose responsibility is to escort newly deceased souls to the afterlife. Their role is not to judge the deceased, but simply provide safe passage. Frequently depicted on funerary art, psychopomps have been associated at different times and in different cultures with horses, Whip-poor-wills, ravens, dogs, crows, owls, sparrows, cuckoos, and harts. In Jungian psychology, the psychopomp is a mediator between the unconscious and conscious realms. It is symbolically personified in dreams as a wise man or woman, or sometimes as a helpful animal. In many cultures, the shaman also fulfills the role of the psychopomp. This may include not only accompanying the soul of the dead, but also vice versa: to help at birth, to introduce the newborn child's soul to the world. This also accounts for the contemporary title of "midwife to the dying," which is another form of psychopomp work.**

**Morning Star - Any of several medieval club-like weapons that included one or more spikes. Each used, to varying degrees, a combination of blunt-force and puncture attack to kill or wound the enemy.**

**Banded Mail – Has been described as "a form of mail reinforced with bands of leather", as "overlapping horizontal strips of laminated metal sewn over a backing of normal chain mail and soft leather backing" and as "many thin sheets of metal are hammered or riveted together". The last description more closely fits splinted mail, which consists of long metal splints connected by mail/leather used for arm and leg protection.**

**Psionics - The practice, study, or psychic ability of using the mind to induce paranormal phenomena. Examples of this include telepathy, telekinesis, and other workings of the outside world through the psyche.**

**Gravedigger - a cemetery worker responsible for digging a grave prior to a funeral service. **

**Burial Vault (enclosure) - a container that houses a casket when it is buried. The purpose of the burial vault is to protect the casket from the weight of the earth and the equipment used in the maintenance of the cemetery property. **

**WARNING: RATED T – Graphic Violence, Gore, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol, Use of Drugs, and Minor Suggestive Adult Themes**

"**What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder and stronger."**

**Story Idea by Faladae**

* * *

"_In this desert_

_In darkness_

_Lying with the gun across his chest_

_Pretending_

_He's heartless_

_As the fire flashes in the sky_

_He was fragile_

_And frozen_

_When the bullet took away his friend_

_And now he's somehow_

_More broken_

_He's pulling his weapon to his side_

_Loading it full of his goodbyes_

_Holding an enemy across the line_

_He's pulling his weapon to his side_

_Loading it full of his goodbyes_

_Holding an enemy across the line_

_Sweating_

_And shaking_

_Lying with her hands across her chest_

_She wakes with_

_Her cravings_

_As the fire flashes in her eye_

_She was fragile_

_And frozen_

_When the needle took away her friend_

_And now she's somehow_

_More broken_

_She's pulling her weapon to her side_

_Loading it full of her goodbyes_

_Holding an enemy across the line_

_She's pulling her weapon to her side_

_Loading it full of her goodbyes_

_Holding an enemy across the line_

_With every battle he's choosing_

_With every fight he's losing_

_His enemy's not far behind_

_With every promise she's broken_

_With every lie she's spoken_

_Her enemy's not far behind_

_It's your time_

_It's your time_

_It's your time_

_It's - your - TIME!_

_He's pulling his weapon to his side_

_Loading it full of his goodbyes_

_Holding an enemy across the line_

_She's pulling her weapon to her side_

_Loading it full of her goodbyes_

_Holding an enemy across the line_

_With every battle he's choosing_

_With every fight he's losing_

_His enemy's not far behind_

_With every promise she's broken_

_With every lie she's spoken_

_Her enemy's not far behind..."_

_- Across the Line by Linkin Park _

* * *

"_Omne initium difficile est."_

_Translation from Latin to English:_

"_Every beginning is difficult."_

* * *

"Alright, all of you form a line and step forward when your name is called." The commander's booming voice ordered as he stepped frontward. The armor clad soldiers and monsters wasted no time getting into a line and saluting as the commander walked past, reading off of the list in his hands.

"Psychopomp Roku."

"Yes sir." A monotone, aged voice responded as an old man in menacing red armor stepped forward; an extended and deadly golden morning star strapped to his back. The commander only tilted his head slightly at his direction and continued:

"Your partner, decided by the Fates, will be Soul Collector Fang."

"Present, sir." A booming voice seemingly growled as the enormous crimson dragon stepped forward. The old man and the dragon then turned to each other and bowed respectively, as was tradition. Nodding his head, the commander then stated:

"Your new mission station is in the populated city of Tokyo, Japan."

The new partners turned towards the commander and bowed respectively and walked off to the exit. The other awaiting psychopomps gulped as they sensed the temperature in the room drop dramatically; may be because Fang's spiked tail accidently (or purposely?) ripped a few of his feathers off on the way out.

"Psychopomp Kyoshi."

"Here, sir." A mature, feminine voice responded as a woman with white and red face paint and strange green silk armor stepped forward; two metal fans at her sides.

"Your partner, decided by the Fates Themselves, will be Soul Collector Hei Bai."

There was no response, except for a bulky panda bear to step forward and nod its head. Seeing the doubt on Kyoshi's face, the commander turned to Hei Bai and simply commanded, "Hei Bai, speak."

In a flash, Hei Bai's innocent panda form morphed into a colossal black and white monster with six legs, causing the people and other Soul Collectors standing near him to leap back in shock. Adding to the powerful affect, Hei Bai raised his monstrous head and opened his mouth, revealing fanged teeth, and let a horrifying roar blast into the sky; a pure white solar beam blasting out of his mouth.

Immediately after the roar ended, Hei Bai shrunk back into his normal panda form, except none of the psychopomps or Soul Collectors near him still stood away from him. The commander saw Kyoshi's mystified face and chuckled. "You two, your mission station will be in the famous city of Beijing, China. Now, move along you two."

After the two left (Kyoshi staying a fair distance away from the panda), the commander went back to the list and read aloud:

"Psychopomp Kuruk."

A Native American man wearing strange fur and leather armor stepped forward; an arsenal of hunting weapons strapped on his back. He seemed to eye the rest of the Soul Collectors in the line almost fearfully, as if Hei Bai had a sibling that was even more terrifying.

"No need to look so nervous, Kuruk. Your partner, bond to you until death, as predicted by the Fates, will be-oh wait. Excuse me, there was a mistake here. Your new _partners_ will be my old assistants: the Seekers."

Hearing their names, a dozen brown foxes walked forward from the line, each with sharp teeth and claws. Kuruk nodded his head in approval and the commander warned him, "Just be careful with them. They're horrendously cunning, and like playing tricks on people. Like how Psychopomp Aang's shoe-ties have been knotted together."

Everybody turned to the youngest psychopomp, who turned beet red and turned down at his shoes, which were, indeed, knotted in special knots that probably weren't even known in the mortal world. As Aang fumbled with his shoe ties, Kuruk patted the head of the largest fox, who was apparent leader of the pack (do foxes even have packs?) as the commander shook his head in amusement as announced, "Your mission station will be in the large country of Canada. And yes, you and your new partners are authorized to hunt whatever game you want, as long as it's in the mortal's laws."

They walked bowed and out, and some of the psychopomps swore they could see the foxes snickering as Aang hopelessly fumbled with his shoes.

"Now, back to business. Psychopomp Yangchen."

"Y-yes sir!" A slightly confused voice stuttered, and a woman, most likely a nun, in bright orange and yellow robes stepped forward; a powerful three-section spear at her side. Like Kuruk, she seemed nervous about her partner as she gazed down the weird and wonderful line.

"Your partner will be the Soul Collector known as the Painted Lady."

A pale woman with scarlet tattoos and flowing black hair stepped forward; wearing pure white robes and a wide straw hat, and it seemed that the woman was even glowing. Having her presence made everyone in the room feel at ease and relaxed, only for the commander to announce: "You two will be put in that mission station in Uganda, and any other part of Africa you will be allowed in. I hope you help the people there, you two."

They nodded and walked out, leaving only a few Soul Collectors and psychopomps left. The commander went on with the list:

"Psychopomp Aang."

Aang, who was still fumbling around with his shoelaces, looked up to see everyone staring at him. He sheepishly stood, shoes still tied together, and hopped forward, causing some psychopomps to chuckle.

"Your partners, chosen by the Fates, will be the Soul Collectors Appa and Momo."

Said Soul Collectors stepped forward, one being a giant buffalo-like creature and the other a small lemur with wings. The lemur, Momo, abruptly flew down from Appa's head and to Aang's shoelaces, unknotting it in a matter of seconds.

"Wow, thanks, Momo!" Aang praised, patting the lemur on the head. As Appa approached, Aang threw his arms around the bison's head, causing a few psychopomps to giggle.

"You three have a mission station in the busy city of London, England. Now, move along, and make sure that you don't get your shoelaces tied together."

Turning red at the last statement, Aang and his new partners bowed and walked/flew out of the room, Aang chattering excitedly to the Soul Collectors. The commander sweat-dropped and muttered to himself, "Poor Collectors, the Fates must hate them..."

He sighed and turned back to the remaining numbers of psychopomps and Soul Collectors. His dark eyes trailed down the line as he announced, "For everyone's information, everyone here has been kept until the end because of your..._previous_, partners you had. The Fates have not been very pleased with you, but their mercy is the only thing keeping you, well,_ alive_. Just remember that, and if you lose your new partner, the Fates will not be as merciful."

They all shifted uncomfortably and most let their gazes lower to the floor in shame and sadness. The commander turned back to his list and solemnly proclaimed,

"Psychopomp Caedite Eos, the former partner of Soul Collector Meng Wu, who was killed in action. Step forward."

A boy, who biologically was no older than 14-years-old, stepped forward, wearing a complete, scratched and battered set of black plate armor, obviously used before in past battles. A long, tattered dark cloak ran off his shoulders and down his armored back; noticeable stains of blood adorning it. Gauntlets and spiked boots covered his hands and feet, and all parts of skin, besides his face, was shrouded in shadow or armour. The cloak's hood replaced the helmet that would complete the armour, a gigantic, menacing scythe rested in his gauntlets.

The scythe's curved; jagged blade was enormous; taller than Caedite's entire height. Instead of wood, the scythe's handle was made of stone, and carved into the dark stone were the words: _Mors Cum Terrore Novo Venit_.

His skin was tanned, yet if you looked closely, the skin on his neck was a sickly, unnatural black, as if the skin was dead. Crimson-colored eyes glared at the commander, and his face was in a deep scowl with fanged white teeth. The commander returned the glare with his large dark eyes, and the atmosphere in the room turned much tenser.

"I am completely aware that is not your true name, Caedite, however, the Fates have declared your former name..._corrupted_." At those words, Caedite's grip on his scythe tightened and the others around his subtly scooted further away. "In exchange for your previous title, they gave you this Latin name that fits most with your personality."

The commander strode forward and towered over Caedite. He leaned forward so they were face to face, and the commander gave the translation:

"_Caedite Eos_ means Latin, for _'Kill Them All'_. The exact words you uttered before your partner's untimely death."

Once the commander noticed that Caedite was now trembling with rage, he stood straight and walked down the line, reporting, "Alright, continuing on, we have Caedite's unfortunate partner...Hm, interesting, it seems, Caedite, that your new partner was, in fact, _related_ to your former partner."

Expression shifting from furious to confused, Caedite was taken aback, mouth gaping open. The commander simply nodded and read aloud:

"The former partner of Psychopomp Sud, who died of wounds received in action, and close cousin of Soul Collector Meng Wu: Toph Bei Fong. Step forward."

A girl, even younger than Caedite, stepped forward, completely fitted in a set of forest green and brown banded mail armour; the armour having noticeable holes and scratches from use, revealing a rather thin layer of chainmail underneath. The strange thing about her armour was that there wasn't leather holding together the armour; it was several rusted chains. Spiked spaulders (armored plates worn on the upper arms and shoulders) were chained to her shoulders, and she had no noticeable weapon.

The most striking feature Toph's form had, was that strange, rusted chains were tightly wrapped around Toph's forearms, ankles, and midsection. A great silver cross was chained to the mail's torso, with the words _Meum Pactum Dictum_ carved vertically into it, along with its metal giving off a strange silver mist.

Being held underneath her arm was a silver great helm, decorated with a cross running down its front. Her forearms and legs weren't armored in banded mail armour, but instead had vicious-looking silver armour, and everyone could see the silver aura resonating off of her like steam, revealing that Toph was one of the rather rare psionic Soul Collectors.

Completely and savagely scarred light skin on run up her arms, shoulders, and all the way up to her neck, with raven-black hair that was tied into a long ponytail. Her eyes were an unnatural shade of green pale, and glowing orange flecks were in her eyes. A pulsating red tattoo on her left cheek read the number: 9413. A homicidal scowl was on her face as she turned to her new partner, and if looks could kill, Caedite would've fallen over dead at that every moment.

Those attributes, added with the silver aura, gave the Soul Collector a sinister, sadistic appearance of a ghostly demon, even more so than Caedite's armored form.

"Out of all the people I have to be partnered with, it had to be this son of a bitch?" Toph asked, her voice being clear and suppressing rage. Her clawed gauntlets repeatedly clenched and unclenched, and each time her hand formed a fist the silver ghostly air around her grew like a fire. The commander noticed the floor was shaking slightly due to the Soul Collectors powers, and he then cut through the thick atmosphere by saying:

"I completely understand your anger, Soul Collector, and I would not blame you if you were to rip your partner apart, but you must control your emotions, for the Fates will not be happy if he dies."

The room stopped shaking as Toph calmed down, and the commander saw the mortified look on Caedite's face. He sighed and read the paper, announcing, "The Fates have sent you two to the crowded city of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States of America. Now please, don't kill each other, and good luck."

The psychopomp and Soul Collector turned to each other, the former terrified and the latter completely furious. Caedite held out his hand and Toph took it, crushing his fingers as they shook hands. The two crimson and pale green/orange eyes locked onto each other and both felt the bond between them form, neither wanting it to happen.

As they walked out of the room in complete silence, until the door behind them shut and Toph unexpectedly lunged at Caedite, catching him completely off guard. Having less armor, thus making her much more flexible, she smashed the side of her helmet at his face, knocking him backwards at the wall. Before he even hit the wall, however, Toph's hands gripped his throat and she slammed him against the wall, causing stares to fly across his vision.

"You deserve to die...I should just kill you right here, right now!" She hissed in outrage, attempting to keep her voice down. Her grip tightened on his neck, and he could feel the claws pierce through his skin, but he was too distracted by the burning feeling in his skin, which was probably from the unearthly silver mist resonating that was raging like a bonfire off of Toph's armor and body. He managed to choke out, "P-ple-please do-don't-"

"Was that what Meng said before you murdered her?" Toph roared, no longer caring about her volume. Blood ran down from his bruised nose and droplets of blood appeared in the new cuts on his neck. "It'd be easy, really. Killing you. All I'd have to do is just grab this little throat out of your neck. And I don't care what the Fates would think, and I wouldn't care if they execute me if I dispose of you piece of shit."

"I-I'm so-sorry..."

"How does an apology justify what you've done?" Toph seethed; the room around them beginning to shake from her psychic powers and the silver steam spread, further burning Caedite's skin. "I would kill you in the most horrible way possible. I wouldn't use my powers on your body like the monsters I've killed. I won't give you that honor."

Her grip tightened even more, and a single stream of crimson blood ran down his neck. "I'll have the beetle feed on your eyes. The worms would crawl through your lungs. The rain will fall onto your rotting skin...until nothing is left but bones."

"You'd have to kill him first, and I will not let that happen."

The two turned to the new voice, and both saw psychopomp June standing by the exit, arms crossed and her whip in her hand. Toph grit her teeth as June advanced forward, continuing, "Toph, I understand that you want to kill this idiot, but come on, think for a second. Would Meng want you to commit suicide? Killing him would, in turn, kill you as well."

"So I should just let this killer run around, unpunished?" Toph hissed, yet the aura around her became calmer and the shaking stopped. June shook her head and replied, "Well, your partners now, aren't you? You're supposed to look after each other, for partnership between a psychopomp and Soul Collector is bound in blood and only broken by death. Maybe he can prove himself, show he's changed."

"Prove himself? He killed the only family I had left! You expect me to let that go?"

"No, I don't expect you to forget this, nor do I expect you to forgive him, but I want him to give you a chance. A chance for him to show you he isn't useless, or a just another senseless murderer Meng wouldn't want you to become a senseless murderer either."

June, now within reach of the two, pressed her coiled whip against Toph's ear and the Soul Collector froze.

"Now, let go of him or I'll have to force you to."

Growling, the psionic Soul Collector released her bleeding partner, who slumped against the wall, gasping for breath. Toph backed away a few steps, June still directing the whip at her, then picked up her great helm off of the ground and placed it onto her head, concealing her scowl.

"I'll see you later, _Caedite_." Toph spat, as if she had something disgusting in her mouth. She headed out of the exit, and once she was out of sight June sighed, seemingly ignoring the fact that Caedite's neck was seriously bleeding and that he had possible hemorrhaging in the back of his head.

"I-I didn't kill Meng..."

At those words, June's eyes widened and she turned back to Caedite.

"What?"

"I wasn't the one who killed Meng. I was framed, and her real murderer is out there, using my former name and killing mortals everywhere."

June's eyes narrowed. "What is that name?"

Caedite looked up, crimson eyes full of determination and hate.

"Koh. Koh the Face Stealer."


	2. Chapter 2 - Dead Hearts

**Aura – a field of subtle, luminous radiation surrounding a person or object (like the halo or aureola in religious art). The depiction of such an aura often connotes a person of particular power or holiness. Sometimes, however, it is said that all living things (including humans) and all objects manifest such an aura.**

**Telekinesis – also known as Psychokinesis, ****production or control of motion, especially in inanimate and remote objects, purportedly by the exercise of psychic powers.**

**PsuremSpecial - I'M ALIVE I SWEAR! (0_0)**

**I apologize for the HUGE lack of stories from, quite honestly, ALL of us from Flipping Table Productions, but some family problems came up, ending with someone becoming depressed, someone nearly getting arrested, and someone nearly getting expelled. So, that ate up most of our time and energy. But we're back now, with more knowledge than before!**

**I refuse to make our past make us bitter, for it's only going to make us better!**

**UPDATE: Sorry if you noticed that this story was temporarily released on my cousin's channel, Daethtofools, and got confused. It's just that I forgot my password for this account...and then I found out I carved it into my bedpost...silly me...**

**Guest – I'm really sorry that this was updated...five months later...**

**24601 – JEAN VALJEAN. YOUR TIME IS UP AND YOU'RE PAROLE'S BEGUN— *Cough* Sorry. Toph's my favorite character as well, and her partner, Caedite Eos, is not an OC. His past name just shall not be mentioned yet.**

**Let's begin!**

* * *

"_Tell me everything that happened_

_Tell me everything you saw_

_They had lights inside their eyes_

_They had lights inside their eyes_

_Did you see the closing window?_

_Did you hear the slamming door?_

_They moved forward, my heart died_

_They moved forward, my heart died_

_Please, please tell me what they look like_

_Did they seem afraid of you?_

_They were kids that I once knew_

_They were kids that I once knew_

_I could say it, but you won't believe me_

_You say you do, but you don't deceive me_

_It's hard to know they're out there_

_It's hard to know that you still care_

_I could say it but you won't believe me_

_You say you do but you don't deceive me_

_Dead hearts are everywhere_

_Dead hearts are everywhere_

_Did you touch them, did you hold them?_

_Did they follow you to town?_

_They make me feel I'm falling down_

_They make me feel I'm falling down_

_Was there one you saw too clearly?_

_Did they seem too real to you?_

_They were kids that I once knew_

_They were kids that I once knew_

_They were kids that I once knew_

_They were kids that I once knew_

_Now they're all dead hearts to you_

_Now they're all dead hearts to you_

_They were kids that I once knew_

_They were kids that I once knew_

_Now they're all dead hearts to you..."_

_- Dead Hearts by Stars_

* * *

"WELCOME TO THE BODY SHOP!"

Caedite flinched at the guttural, shouting voice, but Toph headed in as if the shop owner didn't possibly break their eardrums. The shop was as large as an elementary school gymnasium, yet the endless multitudes of glass and/or metal cages made it feel much smaller. At Caedite's first glance, the things inside of the cages were simply life-like, naked mannequins along with strangely mounted fauna.

He didn't really get a good look at them anyways, since he constantly kept placing his hand by his neck to make sure it stopped bleeding. Toph hasn't spoken a word to him since they met up, and it unnerved the psychopomp a bit. It may have been that whenever Toph looked at him, he saw the silver aura rise dangerously once more and complete fury in her eyes, as if she would snap and kill him at any second.

So his black and blue nose, bleeding neck, and paranoia that his partner was going to rip him to pieces at any second kept him from thinking clearly at that moment.

The two continued silently to the counter, which was mysteriously placed in the very back of the shop. When they approached, a putrid, absolutely foul smell of rotting meat hit their nostrils and both shuddered in disgust and Caedite's expression turned to one of repulsion.

Seated in a towering crimson swivel chair, bare, scarred back towards the two, was a rather frail and boney old man with heavily tanned skin, and as Caedite got closer to the counter, he could see a familiar yet faint white aura radiating off the man like smoke. He glanced towards his new partner once more, and saw that same aura, yet more silver in color and more visible, radiating off of her.

_Ah, so I have more psionic to deal with... _Caedite thought worriedly, biting his lip in nervousness. The second after he thought that, however, the man tilted his head and said aloud, in his whimsical and accented voice, "Now, now, boy, not all of us psionic Soul Collectors are as violent as little Toph there. No need for racism in here."

Flustered and avoiding Toph's narrowed eyes; he asked the man politely, "S-sir, you can read my thoughts?"

"Ah, why yes, boy. As you may know, once a psionic, or really, any Soul Collector, reaches maximum amount of souls, their full potentials are unlocked, making them essentially immortal and invincible. One attribute to our psionic mastery is indeed completely clear telepathy." The man continued, shifting his position a bit. Finally, Caedite noticed what was on the man's filthy workbench, and his blood froze.

Laying, face-up, was a completely decimated, undressed corpse, explaining the excessive amounts of bodily fluids splattered along the counter and workbench, and also jars of organs and bones lining the shelves behind the counter. Even pristinely clean severed limbs hung on hooks from the ceiling, and the man plainly raised a hand and a limb was encased in his white aura and floated towards him, and Caedite saw for the first time active telekinesis. Caedite watched with both fascination and absolute disgust, as the man measured the limb in midair, checking for scars or rot, and then place the limb in its correct place by the dismembered cadaver and the literally _sew_ the limb onto it.

Caedite's mind suddenly clicked into place and he turned around to the rows upon rows of cages and containers, and saw that he thought were stuffed chimeras and mannequins, were indeed bodies, sewn together with the most look-alike pieces and limbs; that only one with a professionally trained eye could see the seams. The bodies ranged from ages, races, and sexes, yet all had a number tattooed on the back of their right ear. The mounted animals were also the same way; pieces of the animal sewn together and placed in cages haphazardly, such as dogs, cats, birds, and larger creatures, such as deer, bears, and even a young elephant was shoved into the corner of the shop.

"You seem bewildered, my boy." The man cut through the young psychopomp's musings, he his face once more turned red, and he could see out of the corner of his eye that his partner was snickering. "This is your first time in my shop, isn't it?"

"Y-yes sir."

"Ah, so you must have never gotten into a body before, hm?"

"N-no sir..."

"I'm guessing you were an active participant in the Thousand's Years War? Is that why you have never gone on this type of mission?"

"Can't you read thoughts, you old buffoon?" Toph interjected, a bit annoyed and speaking for the first time since the entered. She crossed her chained arms and tapped her foot impatiently. "You know he was which is why he has those stupid Latin words on his puny scythe."

"Then why do you have those 'stupid Latin words' on your cross there?" The man asked, and Caedite could practically hear the grin in his voice. Toph merely chuckled and absentmindedly brushed her gloved knuckles against said silver cross that was chained to her chest; stating plainly, "It was only one recon mission, and that's all."

"If you call that one little reconnaissance mission the one that changed the outcome of the war, my little Bandit." The last seam was made on the body, and the man placed his steel thread and bone needle back onto the gore-covered table and extended his calloused hands over the carcass, and the pure white aura around him grew like bonfire, similar to the way Toph burst out in the assignment hall. Except, this time, tendrils of the white mist extended from his hands and encased the body, and ever so suddenly, the body rose from the bench and lifted into the air.

Caedite's jaw dropped, Toph snickered at his bewildered expression, and the man stood as the body turned and floated, suspended in midair with arms extended. The man placed his glowing hands onto the body's head and began muttering something in a language forgotten by man, but still sent shivers down their spines.

_"Non ministrari, sed ministrare..."_ _  
_

A resounding crack, one similar to lightning, burst from the man's hands, and the body's head to lift and its dead eyes to shot open, a pure white light bursting out every visible orifice. The psychopomp and Soul Collector watched in awe as any existing rot or open wound close, and the new seams fade to become almost non-existent. It's pale, clammy skin slowly restored in color, and they could watch and hear as the body breathed, and its heart functioned once more. It's chipped and fallen off hair and nails gradually grew back, and they were amazed at how the body was _alive_ once more.

It only lasted for a few seconds, until the light faded to nothing again, and the head hung limp. They watched as the man placed his hand over the corpse's right ear and a soft glow peeked out from under it, and once the hand pulled away, a numbered tattoo was behind the ear. The body then floated over the man's head and rested onto the counter, right in front of the new partners.

"That...that was amazing!" Caedite shouted, leaning forward and poking at the body. He saw now that it wasn't dead, for it was still breathing and its heart was still beating, and it looked as if it was just in a deep, deep sleep. "You brought it back to life!"

"Well, yes, and no." The man finally turned around, and Caedite recognized him in less than a second, noting the slightly sunken in eyes, great white beard, and a glowing white infinity sign adorned his left cheek.

"You're Soul Master Pathik!"

"Heh, why yes, yes I am, little psychopomp." Pathik responded, brushing his long white beard absentmindedly, then turned to Toph and smiled fondly. "Hello again, little Bandit. How have you been?"

"Eh, well, I've been partnered up with this idiot and now we have to go live in one of the busiest and regulated cities on earth." Toph sighed and pulled up a chair, sitting down. "Not to good, really."

"Ah, yes... I've heard what happened to your cousin and your partner, Toph. My condolences..." Toph turned away from the Soul Master and ran her fingers through her hair and avoided eye contact. Caedite saw her silver aura flicker for just a brief moment, but not out of anger, just pure sadness, and he quickly defused the situation by asking the Soul Master, "So, how did you bring this body back to life?"

"You see, dear boy, this body isn't technically living, for it has no soul inside of it." Pathik explain, gesturing at the sleeping body in front of them. "So, in a way, this body is dead and alive at the same time, for its bodily functions now work, yet there is no spirit to make it actually live."

"So, Toph and I will get two of these bodies?"

"Of course! In fact, this body here is yours! I just have to change some features, fix the hair, and it'll be yours!"

Caedite's eyes widened as watched the Soul Master unexpectedly pull out a pair of tweezers and literally float forward, blowing off Caedite's hood and plucking out a few strands of his brown hair causing him to flinch. Rubbing his head, he kept quiet as the man pulled out a frightfully old lamp and threw the hairs inside, and the lantern flickered to life with unnaturally brown fire.

Soul Master Pathik raised his free hand and snapped his fingers, and his white aura rushed towards his hand, looking like thin sheets of paper, and the sheets bundled together and forming something in the shape of a thick stick, until Caedite recognized it as a glowing white torch made of spiritual wisps. He stuck the wispy aura torch into the lantern, and the flickering flame transferred to the torch and the man plainly threw the lantern over his shoulder and let it clatter onto the floor.

He slowly brought the abnormal chocolate-colored flames over the body's head and tapped the flames onto the body's chest, right over where its heart was.

The effect was instantaneous, for shimmering brown ripples of light spread like waves on water, and the ripples morphed the body to become slightly shorter, its thin layer of hair naturally growing out more and changing from black to brown, the body's skin turned tanner in color, and its features changed to become younger and more familiar...

"The...the body..."

"Yes, boy, this body is now a copy of your current spirit. So, essentially, this body is an _exact copy_ of _you_..._before_ you became a psychopomp."

Caedite was fascinated; poking and prodding at the body repeatedly, checking every detail, such as even looking at the tiny scar underneath his chin from when he fell into a river. He then paused, and asked hesitantly, "Wait...how am I supposed to get into this body...?"

"Simple really."

Startled by Toph's voice, he suddenly felt her clawed gauntlets grip his shoulder, and he turned his head to see Toph's sadistic grin.

"We just need you to 'possess' this body, but since you're neither an actual spirit nor a filthy demon, which you should be, this old buffoon and I will have to improvise."

He watched in horror as similar silver lightning crackled across the chains around her arms, yet unlike Pathik's lightning, hers was out of controls and flaring in all directions.

"And lucky for you, this is the first time for me doing this. This better hurt...a lot."

Just as the lightning reached her hands, he blacked out.

* * *

"C'mon...wake up..."

"Ugh, five more minutes..."

His eyes shot open as he felt a rather hard metal object smack to his head, and he instinctively shot up and reached to grab his attacked, only for the object to smack him right in the face this time with a sickening _crack_, and he fell flat on his back again. He clutched his now broken nose as fresh blood poured out, and he could hear Soul Master Pathik complain, "Aw, little Bandit, I just fixed up that body, and now I have to fix it again!"

"Tch, it's not my fault this imbecile is so soft." Toph defended, and Caedite saw the lantern from earlier in her hands. She grinned at him, asking jokingly, "Hey there, Sleeping Beauty, like the new body?"

Caedite blinked, confused for a few moments, until he glanced down at himself and gasped. Ignoring the pain from his slight headache and shattered nose, he felt took in a deep breath and felt for his thundering heartbeat, and it felt..._wonderful_.

It was hard to explain, yet as he flexed his fingers and stood, he felt free from his heavy, bulking armour, and as he ran his bare fingers over his neck and shoulder, unlike his actual skin, this skin was fresh, new...

He felt..._reborn_.

"I see you like that new body, hm?" Toph asked, smiling at him mischievously. He turned back saw an embarrassed smile on the Soul Master's face and Toph just smilingly slyly. He raised an eyebrow, about to ask why they were staring at him like that, until Toph finally commented:

"I know you like it a lot, but I really suggest you cover yourself up, because not everyone's excited to see you like that."

He face turned as red as a thousand fiery infernos fueled by as much oil as there are molecules in the universe once he realized, like the rest of the bodies, he was completely exposed. Pathik hastily tossed him a blanket as Toph abruptly burst out cackling, and Caedite tried to regain at least some of his dignity by wrapping the cloth around his waist, and since all the blood was rushing to his face, the bloody nose became much worse and a steady stream of blood was now dripping down his face.

The Soul Master politely cleared his throat as the laughter died down, mostly since Toph had fallen off of her chair and onto the floor in her fit of laughter, and said to the still red-faced psychopomp, "Heh, I apologize for that inconvenience, boy. Although, we really should go get that nose fixed and get you some, ah, clothes..."

Nodding furiously, which caused the nosebleed to become worse, Pathik led to the back room (which neither Toph nor Caedite noticed before), and Toph stayed behind, catching her breath. Once the two disappeared behind the thick backroom door, Toph heard the bell above the front door ring and she tilted her head towards it, as a familiar energetic voice shouted:

"OH MY GOSH! APPA, MOMO, LOOK AT ALL THE BODIES!"

Toph turned her attention to the backroom, where she heard faint yet heated argument on what color shirt matched Caedite's eyes, and she saw the counter was completely open. Getting an idea, a grin crept onto her face as she headed behind the counter, picked up the fallen lantern, and hollered out to the new costumer:

"WELCOME TO THE BODY SHOP, TWINKLE TOES! YOU BRING THE COPPER, WE BRING THE CORPSES! LET'S FORCEFULLY STUFF YOU INTO SOME CADAVERS, SHALL WE?!"

* * *

"There we go! Done!"

Caedite was whirled around in his chair and faced towards the tall golden framed mirror on the wall, and what was reflected back stunned him.

Sitting in a plain wooden swivel chair was a rather muscular boy about 14 years old, with slightly tanned skin, and a head of incredibly healthy raven black hair. His unnatural crimson eyes were covered by a pair of thick sunglasses, much to his displeasure, for it restricted his enhanced eyesight. An equally crimson t-shirt compensated for his new hindrance, and a black leather jacket covered that. Plain blue jeans and red and black running shoes adorned his legs and feet, and a golden watch was fastened onto his right wrist.

"Wow..." Caedite breathed, staring at the boy, who he barely believed was himself, and he stood from the chair, getting a closer look at the mirror. Pathik chuckled at the boy's amazement and folded the rejected clothes back up and put them into the rows and stacks of dressers pressed against the wall. "Is this really what humans wear these days?"

"Yes, although I say you fit the part of an average teenage boy quite nicely..."

The two froze suddenly at the sound of cackling flames and a cry of panic reached their ears, and they bolted towards the entrance without hesitation. When the door was finally opened, Caedite's jaw dropped and Pathik's eyes widened in surprise.

Standing with a burning lantern in one hand and a thin, empty syringe with traces of blood on the needle in the other, was a confused Toph and across the counter was a puzzled Aang and Appa (who somehow managed to fit between the tight rows of bodies).

To Caedite's and Pathik's amazement, sitting calmly on the counter was a light-colored and completely alive cat, with wide, confused dark green eyes and a recognizable striped brown and white tail, and a number behind the cat's right ear...

"Oh, hi there!" Aang greeted in his naturally friendly tone, waving towards them with a goofy grin on his face. Appa made a sort of grunt of recognition and the cat walk towards them and _meow_ed so quickly it came out in a chirp. The younger psychopomp gestured towards Toph and the cat, exclaiming, "Toph just got Momo this new cat body! Cool, isn't it? It looks almost exactly like his real form!"

"Toph... you fixed up a body by yourself?" Pathik questioned, genuinely impressed as Momo tested it's cat body by stretching and walking a lap around the counter. There were no visible seams whatsoever, and Caedite, with Momo's permission of course, petted the cat's head and could tell the fur was extraordinarily healthy, like his own hair.

"Well, yeah! I'm going to be the best Soul Collector in the world, and I can make one little cat body, no sweat!" Toph shouted victoriously, snuffing out the flames with a flick of her wrist and leaning against the counter, grinning away. "I was even about to work up on Appa's body, maybe with that gigantic dog over there..."

As the Soul Collector continued to talk, Caedite turned from Momo to face her, and he immediately noticed something was off. It took him a few seconds to register, yet his gaze fell upon the tattoo on her left cheek that counted her Soul Collection, instead of the number 9413 he saw earlier, it had lowered to 9392.

It had _lowered_.

And that's _never_ a good thing.

Pathik had evidently noticed that troubling fact as well, for he serenely placed his hand on Toph's shoulder, stopping her from speaking as he smiled sweetly, "You did something even the higher ranking Soul Collectors couldn't do, and I'm really impressed. But how about you leave the rest of these bodies to me, and I'll get you yours afterwards, alright?"

The Soul Collector crossed her arms in annoyance and huffed, a bit miffed that she couldn't make a few more bodies, but she eventually gave into Pathik's almost sickeningly sugary smile and let the Soul Master continue his work.

Even though Toph stayed out of the way as Pathik gave Appa and Aang their new bodies, Caedite still didn't understand why her Soul Collection went _down_.

_Why did she lose some Souls then? _He thought, constantly gazing back and forth from the counter to Toph's tattoo, which she didn't notice. _If a body doesn't need a soul or spirit, why would resurrecting one require some souls?_

"_It doesn't."_

Startled by the new voice in his head, he reflexively sat up straight and glanced around, earning an annoyed glance from Toph and a confused stare from Momo, who had decided to nap on his lap. He then saw Pathik looking at him from the corner of his eye, even though the Soul Master was still working fluently with the body of a great white dog.

"_I don't only read thoughts boy, but I can send them too."_

_Oh, so then, why did Toph's Soul Collection go down?_ He continued to think and sitting back, now knowing Pathik could hear him. _ Bodies don't require souls; you said that earlier._

"_Yes, bodies indeed do not need souls to resurrect. But bodies do need some part of the Soul Collector's power to be brought back to life."_

_But how do Toph's powers affect the Souls she carries? _Caedite thought, eyes narrowing and biting his lip slightly. _When a Soul Collector collects Souls, the Souls are then stored deep within them, giving them more power without even lowering, like an everlasting-battery. _

"_Although, when a Soul Collector's collection of Souls lowers, that would be the equivalent of someone taking out some of those said batteries. I have a theory that may or may not be correct about our little Bandit here that I need you to hear."_

_Yes?_

"_I personally believe that Toph's powers have a _direct link_ to the Souls she intakes, and instead of acting like those everlasting-batteries you mentioned, the Souls she has are like coal for a steam engine. They only fuel the flame of her powers, but if she uses her powers too much..."_

_She'll run out of Souls. _Caedite's eyes shot open as he stifled a gasp. _And when a Soul Collector runs out of souls—_

"They die_."_

Caedite turned at a snail's pace back to his new partner, who had leaned back against the wall and was sleeping rather peacefully. He could feel his fists clench as his eyes gazed at the slightly changed number, and he could hear a painfully memorable whisper ring out from his memories:

"H-heh...I-I think I've run out of Souls...and I'm sorry, but I wasn't able to kill them all like you said..."

_I'm not going to lose this one. I promise, Meng._ He thought, closing his eyes.

_I promise..._

"_And that's a promise you'd better keep, boy."_

* * *

"Is she done yet?" Caedite repeated in a beyond bored tone, rubbing his sunglasses against his jacket. Momo shook his furry head and rested back down onto his lap, and the psychopomp sighed in defeat, leaning against the wall. He heard laughing and a deep bark echo through the store, and he tilted his door to the entrance and could see Aang and Appa playing fetch with a random stick they found, and both psychopomp and Soul Collector were in their new bodies.

Aang was slightly shorter and scrawnier than Caedite, but made the lack of muscle up by his energy. Like his regular form, he was bald with an orange baseball cap, yet had no blue tattoos whatsoever. Other than lack of tattoos, the younger psychopomp looked exactly as he was before, yet instead of orange and yellow robes he wore a carroty colored shirt, golden-trimmed vest, orange shorts, and seemingly-golden sneakers.

Appa was no longer a colossal bison, but now an abnormally hefty white dog, which Caedite believed to be called a Pyrenean Mountain Dog, with a thick leather collar and a silver name tag reading: APPA.

The sound of purring caught Caedite's attention, and he smiled and stroked the sleeping cat Soul Collector, who just purred louder and rolled over. Caedite laughed, and the broad back door finally opened. Momo opened his eyes and Caedite looked up, about to ask why it took so long, but he paused once he saw her.

Like Caedite, her pale green and orange eyes were covered by a pair of sunglasses, yet she seemed to pull it off better than he did. A pale green baseball cap sat backwards on her head, also bringing to Caedite's attention that her hair had been cut shorter, at least to be put into a short ponytail. The light green hoodie she wore was short sleeved; the sleeves being forest green and trimmed with yellow. Faded and slightly torn jeans were held by a silver-studded black belt, and her feet were adorned by green Adidas.

Her clothes were completely different, but her body wasn't.

Scarred skin on run up her arms, shoulders, and all the way up to her neck, and the tattoo still remained on her face, and even if it wasn't glowing, the black ink 9392 made her seem more intimidating than she already was.

"Heh, what are you staring at, idiot?" Toph asked, grinning at him, and just now he saw a slight fang replacing her left canine tooth. "It's just me."

Wordlessly, Caedite nodded, and carefully moved Momo off of his lap while he stood. His new partner kept grinning, and Aang and Appa came back in, both sweaty and tired (and in Aang's case, just sweaty).

"Hey, Soul Master Pathik?" Aang asked, and the older man turned back to them. "Where...where exactly did you get these body parts?"

Pathik paused, yet the aura around him flared for a slight second, startling all of them.

An uncharacteristic chuckle sent shivers down all their spines, and he turned to all of them with an almost evil smile on his face.

"Let me just say...I have a _friend_ on earth who, well, _sends_ these to me occasionally...

And they're always so _fresh_..."

* * *

_"Non ministrari, sed ministrare..."_ (Not to be served, but to serve)


	3. Chapter 3 - Anthem of the Angels

**Gravedigger - a cemetery worker responsible for digging a grave prior to a funeral service. If the grave is in a cemetery on the property of a church or other religious organization (part of, or called, a churchyard), gravediggers may be members of the decedent's family or volunteer parishioners. Digging graves has also been one of the traditional duties of a church's sexton. In municipal and privately owned cemeteries, gravediggers may be low-paid, unskilled, and temporary laborers, or they may be well-paid, trained, and professional careerists, as their duties may include landscaping tasks and courteous interactions with mourners and other visitors.**

**Sexton (office) - a church, congregation, or synagogue officer charged with the maintenance of its buildings and/or the surrounding graveyard. In smaller places of worship, this office is often combined with that of verger. In larger buildings, such as cathedrals, a team of sextons may be employed.**

**Burial Vault (enclosure) - a container that houses a casket when it is buried. The burial vault is placed in the grave, the casket is lowered into the vault and a top (lid) is placed onto the vault before the grave is covered. The purpose of the burial vault is to protect the casket from the weight of the earth and the equipment used in the maintenance of the cemetery property. Burial vaults also maintain the beauty of the cemetery by eliminating soil settlement. Burial vaults are most commonly made from concrete, but are also made from steel and plastic.**

**WARNING: RATED T – Graphic Violence, Gore, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol, Use of Drugs, and Minor Suggestive Adult Themes**

* * *

"_White walls surround us _

_No light will touch your face again _

_Rain taps the window _

_As we sleep among the dead _

_Days go on forever _

_But I have not left your side _

_We can chase the dark together _

_If you go then so will I _

_There is nothing left of you _

_I can see it in your eyes _

_Sing the anthem of the angels _

_And say the last goodbye _

_Cold light above us _

_Hope fills the heart _

_And fades away _

_Skin white as winter _

_As the sky returns to grey _

_Days go on forever _

_But I have not left your side _

_We can chase the dark together _

_If you go then so will I _

_There is nothing left of you _

_I can see it in your eyes _

_Sing the anthem of the angels _

_And say the last goodbye _

_I keep holding onto you _

_But I can't bring you back to life _

_Sing the anthem of the angels _

_Then say the last goodbye _

_You're dead alive _

_You're dead alive _

_You're dead alive _

_You're dead alive..._

_There is nothing left of you _

_I can see it in your eyes _

_Sing the anthem of the angels _

_And say the last goodbye _

_I keep holding onto you _

_But I can't bring you back to life _

_Sing the anthem of the angels _

_And say the last goodbye..."_

_- Anthem of the Angels by Breaking Benjamin_

* * *

Pitch black storm clouds swarmed the sky as the freezing, torrent-like winds whipped the graveyard's ground, spewing fall's dead leaves in bright whirlpools of color until they crashed back onto the soil. The rushing winds and rustling were deafening, and the blistering cold caused the lone gravedigger to wrap its forest-green scarf closer around its neck and shifting uneasily in its weathered camouflage hunting jacket. Its leather gloved hands gripped the rusted shovel tightly as it tossed another spade-full of dirt out of the four-foot deep rectangular hole; the person almost finished making it.

After throwing a few more of the annoying dirt chunks over its shoulder, the young gravedigger noticed it was finished and balanced the old spade on its shoulder, and a satisfied smile appeared behind the scarf. The gravedigger then seized the silver cross necklace dangling in front of it and brought its sharpened end to the old wood of the spade, making a thin, perfectly straight notch in the aged wood.

A faint whistling was heard behind the scarf as the gravedigger tipped its camouflaged green baseball cap over its pale green, orange speckled eyes. _Jeez, it's only been a month since we got here and I've had to bury all these guys. Are humans really this weak?_

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

The gravedigger's eyes cracked open is little slits, and its eyes trailed up to the top of the hole. Its ear twitched as the feminine voice called again, "Could somebody help me? Hello?"

Grunting, and the gravedigger quickly but carefully climbed out, trying not to move any of the dirt. Not even bothering to brush the dirt off of itself, it looked around, surrounded by the sea of neat and orderly gravestones, trying to find the source of the voice.

"Oh, excuse me? Do you work here?"

The gravedigger turned around and saw a middle aged Native American woman, who had kind yet confused sapphire eyes and plain blue clothing. The woman was much taller than the young gravedigger, the shade of the baseball cap covering its face from the woman's view, yet it didn't bother to look up. The woman raised an eyebrow and hesitantly asked, "Um...do you work here? It seems you're a bit too young for this job."

"Age is just a number, madam." The gravedigger replied in it's matter-of-factly voice, balancing the spade on its shoulder. The woman couldn't see the grin behind the scarf and took the answer to offensively, yet remained calm. "And yes, I do work here. I work here with my..._brother_, and we take care of the cemetery. I dig the holes, and he organized who goes into the holes. So, essentially, I do his dirty work."

"You and your brother take care of this entire graveyard by _yourselves_?" The woman asked, astonished. "But this place must be more a mile long!"

"No, I wouldn't say we're by ourselves, madam. We have everyone here." The gravedigger's arm gestured to the tombstones around them, and the woman's eyes widened in realization. "When I started working here, I came to like walking around and talking to these graves..."

"Talk to the graves?" The woman's eyebrow rose. "Why?"

Underneath the hat, the gravedigger's expression became one of humor and it stabbed its spade into the ground and leaned against it, startling the woman. "Well, look around, madam. Look at these people. They just look so...so..._lonely_."

Sighing, the gravedigger crossed its arms and tilted its face up to stare at the dark storm clouds, saying, "I never saw anyone around here anyways. And I always wondered if anyone cared for them, or whatever's left of them, or if anyone even remembered these people. I worry that they'll all get forgotten if no one goes to have a chat with them every few days..."

The gravedigger then turned to the woman, startling her once more with the sight of its eyes. "A person only dies twice; once when their heart finally stops beating, and second when a person says their name for the very last time."

"Y...you're eyes..." The woman muttered, and a hand flew over her mouth. "Y-you're _blind_?"

"That's what it _looks_ like, doesn't it?" The gravedigger scowled, pulling the spade back out of the ground. "It doesn't really matter anyways, whatever my eyes _seem_ like, if I can still get around and dig these holes. Now, madam, would you kindly tell me your name?"

After a few seconds of stunned silence, the woman blinked and replied, "Um...my name is Kya. Kya Kuruk."

Extending its filthy, gloved hand, the gravedigger said, "Toph. Toph Bei Fong."

Kya warily took the thick, grimy glove and shook it, trying not to get her fingers dirty since she barely touched the hand at all. Toph brought her hand back to the spade and tapped her fingers against the scratched wood, muttering to herself, "Kya...Kya Kuruk...I swear I've heard that name before..."

"Did you say something, Toph?" Kya asked, bringing her out of her musings. Toph shook her head, replying, "No...I didn't say anything. Tell me, Miss Kuruk, do you have any family?"

_That's what I should be asking you..._ Kya thought. "Yes...I'm married have two kids. A boy and a girl, the boy is five and the girl is four. So, you said it's just you and your brother here?"

"Yes, I believe I have already said that."

"Where are your parents?"

"Don't have any."

Wracking her memory on this woman, Toph began walking towards the mausoleum, gesturing for Kya to follow before the older woman could even respond. Kya immediately noticed that Toph walked in up straight like as a soldier would march, yet all formality of her stride turned to leisure as Toph balanced the spade on her shoulders. The two walked past the graves, Toph trailing a hand on each of them, greeting them fondly by each and every one of their names. Kya was surprised at the pure emotion and happiness coming from Toph every time she acknowledged a grave, acting as if a person seeing their good friends after a long time. If Kya had looked at the graves, she would have noticed all of the ones Toph touched were buried within the last month.

When they reached the towering, stone mausoleum, Toph's cheerful expression turned one of boredom as they passed the last grave and Kya inwardly sighed.

Once they entered, Kya felt a shiver run up her spine. It didn't come from the chilling cold from the building, but from a certain, uneasy feeling the building gave her. Toph brushed past her, causing some dirt to fall and stain Kya's clothes.

"Did your mother ever teach you manners?" Kya muttered under her breath, trying to brush the grime off. Toph didn't seem to hear her as she walked on, and Kya turned her attention to the interior of the building.

A single, filthy, neglected grime-covered coffin at the end of the small building, covered with many rusty or nearly broken hand tools such as rakes, brooms, hammers, nails, and any other tools Kya could think of. Surprisingly new, practically shining burial vaults were stacked by the walls, where Toph was currently heading.

"Hey..." Kya said, noticing something different in the tools. "You don't have any other spades or shovels?"

Toph froze in her spot, and seemed to stop breathing for a second. Kya noticed her reaction and became concerned. She stepped closer to the girl and reached out to place a hand on her shoulder, asking, "What's wrong?"

The second the woman's hand came in contact, a terrible burning sensation burst from Toph's left cheek, causing her physical hiss at the pain and wince. Kya pulled her hand away at the strange reaction, and she could have sworn that there was a faint, unusual red glow from the left side of the gravedigger's scarf.

Genuinely concerned and a bit frightened, she question, "Toph, what's wrong—"

"I know what you are now."

"...what?"

Toph didn't turn back around, for the glow had faded slightly but didn't disappear, and the stinging still remained. Her brow was furrowed and her mouth in a scowl, thinking to herself: _that _idiot_ Caedite already said he got found and sent this soul back already! Gah, when I find that imbecile I'll bury _him_ in a hole..._

"I only need one spade." Toph interrupted, not turning back to Kya. The crimson glow finally faded to nothing and Toph sighed contentedly, something Kya didn't miss. "This one is..._special_...You wouldn't understand."

She, most likely reluctantly, placed the spade carefully on the closed marble coffin and removing the pair of soiled gloves and causing Kya to gasp.

The young gravedigger's hands were horribly scarred, some from deep, painful cuts and other from agonizing burns. The marks were on the front and back of her hands and even on her fingers. Toph didn't acknowledge Kya's reaction as she reached into the pockets of her old jacket and pulled out two, perfectly white silk gloves.

Before Kya could even say anything, Toph stated sarcastically, "After a month of working here, you really expect me working here uninjured? With all these sharp objects and crazy mourners? And before you ask, I only use these gloves when handling the coffins. Don't want to get the caskets dirty."

"What happened?"

"Didn't I just tell you? I've been working here for a month—"

"You don't get those scars from digging holes!"

Turning back to the older woman, Toph only slightly lifted the scarf covering her face self-consciously and sighed, "By the way I've buried people, yet you can."

Feed up with all the futile questions, Kya strode up to the younger girl and grabbed her wrist, nearly shouting, "Alright, enough with these useless riddles! Answer the question! What happened to you?"

"Let go of me, madam."

"Only when you tell me what happened!"

"I said, _let go_."

"Tell me, right now, what happened—"

"Do you believe in an afterlife, Miss?"

Confused, yet still angry, Kya's eyes narrowed, "Don't avoid the question—"

"Tell me, Miss Kya, do you believe there is an afterlife? Do you believe in a higher power, or in angels and demons? Do you believe that there is a divine punishment for people who have committed terrible acts, and that there's a heavenly paradise for those deemed as saints?"

If the gravedigger's tone was different, Kya would have gotten angry. But instead of the snarky, sarcastic attitude the older woman had expected, Toph spoke seriously and sternly; the voice a teacher would use on a uncooperative child. Of course, Kya couldn't find any other answer to this question by plainly nodding, prompting Toph to continue.

"Well, I believe so too, Miss Kya, but on a more, well, severe degree." The gravedigger turned back to Kya, and the older woman froze at the nearly threatening look in Toph's eyes. "Now look and listen carefully, Miss Kya, for this is going to be the only time I will show this to you."

All of a sudden, Toph reached for the scarf and pulled it off effortlessly, revealing an oddly wide fanged grin and a black tattoo with the numbers 9392 adorning her left cheek. Kya couldn't help but gasp, and Toph chuckled.

"You _could_ say that I'm part of an army or militia of sorts, and this tattoo shows all the..._enemies_, I've eliminated." Wrapping the scarf back around her head, Kya noticed that the odd orange speckles in the gravedigger's pale green eyes were just about glowing. "In this particular _army_, the soldiers such as me are considered the angels against these demons, and our job is to destroy these said demons before they hurt other people such as you."

The gravedigger swiftly pulled up her sleeve, shocking Kya from the grotesque wounds that Toph had sustained in the past. "Of course, in these fights the demons fight back, and rather roughly, as I may add."

"You...you've _killed_ these...'demons'?" Kya whispered, hands covering her mouth and she backed away slightly from Toph. "You've..._murdered_ people?"

Clicking her tongue, Toph rolled her sleeve back down. "I wouldn't consider them as _people_, Miss Kya. But yes, I've killed those demons.

So, in a way, yes, I am a murderer."

* * *

The sounds of multiple vehicles echoed slightly through the sexton, and the undertaker's ear twitched. He took a deep breath and adjusted his crimson necktie; the only thing we wanted most at the moment was to get back to his comfortable red and black clothes instead of this fancy yet constricting black tuxedo. The undertaker's crimson eyes gazed to the stained glass window, and even through the colorful glass he knew the storm was brewing.

Leaning on his elbow, he finished scribbling the final names onto another paper, and then placed the paper on the stack. The undertaker then lifted his head and the haunting sound of rushing wind echoing the small sexton office and behind the door in front of him was the church.

Sighing, he carefully stacked the obituaries and funeral papers neatly on his desk and put his dark sunglasses back on, concealing his strange eye color. He stood from his chair and gazed at the papers tiredly, thinking to himself: _Gah, it's only been a month since we got here and I've had to prepare all these people. Are humans really this fragile?_

Grabbing one of the umbrellas from beside the door, he headed outside, where the air itself began to become humid, and his hair stood onto its end. Finally outside, he turned to the sea of tombstones and noticed Toph was out of sight. _She probably went to get the burial vault. _He thought, biting his tongue in impatience. _But she should have gotten it there by now, the family is already here!_

"Excuse me? Do you work here?"

Taken out of his thoughts, he turned to the voice and saw a rather stoic middle aged Native American man in a rather expensive suit and blue tie. His steely blue eyes were completely full of grief and sadness, along with tears threatening to spill over the corner of his eyes.

"Yes, sir, I do work here. I presume you are Hakoda?" The undertaker questioned extending his hand, which the man shook firmly. "We spoke on the phone yesterday, and yes, my voice does make me sound older than I actually am. I work here with my..._sister_, and we take care of the cemetery. To be more accurate, she constructs the graves, and I designate whose grave it belongs to."

"So, it's just the two of you here?"

"Yes, sir, it's only the two of us."

The two then headed towards the great cluster of cars, and the undertaker was astonished by the massive flood of people standing there. The undertaker put on a small smile, stating in a polite and soft voice, "She must have been loved very much, sir."

"She...she had a lot of friends and family, yes..." Hakoda muttered; a slight smile gracing his features as memories flooded him. "I never caught your name..."

"Caedite. My name is Caedite."

The older man nodded, and then stepped into the crowd to more than likely get them ready for the actual event. The second the older man was out of sight, Caedite quite literally bolted from the sexton to the mausoleum, ignoring the furious wind nearly shoving him over.

"Darn it Toph," He hissed, coming closer and closer to the old building. "I know it doesn't take you _this_ long to get a vault."

However, as he neared the building, he could feel something was _off_. Slowing as he neared the door, he could hear a faint talking from the inside.

"...in a way, yes, I am a murderer."

"Oh dear, please tell me she isn't scaring another homeless person..." He mumbled under his breath and without a second thought, opened the doors.

When he saw who was inside, he froze. Toph turned to him, eyes now more orange than green, and scowling behind the scarf. "Ah, and the infamous idiot undertaker is here. Now, idiot, would you please tell me why I found this _guest_ wandering the cemetery?"

Caedite turned and felt his body tense as his crimson eyes fell onto an adult Native American lady, and almost on sight he recognized her. He didn't show this recognition, however, for he saw the woman had completely mortified expression. He turned sharply to Toph and hissed, "What did you tell her?"

The scowl turned into a grin, something only Caedite could see. "Only the truth, idiot."

"Y-you're...you...Toph..."

The two turned to the woman, and she pointed at Toph as if she was some sort of horrific ghostly demon. In truth, only a two thirds of that description was right.

"Toph's a murderer?" The older woman uttered, face pale. Caedite's jaw dropped slightly, and Toph cracked her fingers. The young gravedigger grasped the ends of the clean vault and lifted it with surprising strength and balanced it on her shoulder, failing to notice Kya's shocked expression. Caedite resisted the urge to facepalm and instead ran his fingers through his hair, asking civilly, "Madam Kya, would you mind staying here for a while, just until this funeral ends?"

Toph began to whistle once more, balancing the vault on her shoulder and heading towards the door. The undertaker gave the woman an apologetic glance and added, "When it's over, I'll explain everything. I promise."

"A-alright...I'll wait." Kya promised, eyeing the two warily. "Just make sure to actually come back, will you?"

"Yes, Madam."

With that, they exited the mausoleum and the depressing chill settled once the stone door closed. Kya sat on the closed coffin, not caring if her clothes got filthy, and closed her eyes, lost in thought.

Her eyes suddenly flashed opened as she realized something.

"Wait...how did he know my name?"

* * *

Tiny droplets of rain drizzled down on the black-clad crowd, yet no one seemed to care as they followed the four men carrying the casket. Everyone in the crowd was sobbing and some were almost to that point, and Toph felt pity for all of them as she stood by the open grave; gloved hands crossed and resting on top of her spade handle.

Her ear twitched as sloshed footsteps came up beside her, and she didn't even turn to him as she greeted, "Hey, idiot."

"Hello, Toph." Caedite responded, not even caring about what Toph called him lately. He held the umbrella over both of them, and they watched with somber faces as the procession carried on.

Slowly, so painfully slowly, the filled casket lowered into the hole and both Caedite and Toph felt a hand rest on their shoulders. Caedite turned his head and saw the deceased woman's husband staring at the grave, tears silently rolling down his face, as he whispered, "She...she always loved the rain..."

The gravedigger only tilted her head slightly, but she bit her lip behind her scarf as the man looked down at her and asked quietly, "You're not really blind, are you?"

"No...No sir." Toph replied, getting ready to start burying. The man sighed and his hand gripped her shoulder tighter as he requested, "Is...Is it possible...I-if...?"

"No worries, sir, Caedite informed me of your request after you signed the papers. When I dug the grave I made sure it was shallower than the others."

"T-thank y-you so much..." He managed to choke out, more tears streaming down his face as he finally burst out crying. He removed his hands from both their shoulders and Toph sighed, eyes trailing over the hysterically sobbing crowd. Caedite did so as well, then muttered to himself, "...Madam Kya...you will never be forgotten..."

"S-she was murdered..."

Toph raised an eyebrow and finally turned back to the man. "Excuse me?"

"M-my wife, s-she was mu-murdered. She w-went missing a week ago, my d-daughter being the only one to s-see her last, and we found her body t-torn up and hung from some god-damn tree! T-the worst part w-was that sick mother-fucker of a murderer _cut off her face_. T-that son-of-a-bitch skinned her face off like she was an animal, and I c-couldn't do anything about it! My k-kids couldn't even see the body! They w-won't even know if she's r-resting in peace..."

The man then burst out sobbing once more, and Toph felt tears in her own eyes, but refused to let them fall. Caedite turned away, concealing his own tears as well.

_Then this means...this person is the 355__th__ victim of Koh. _Her fingers tightened around the spade. _That psychotic fucker...I hope he burns in the fiery depths of hell..._

* * *

Caedite sighed, for the rain was much harder now, not that anyone but him and Toph cared. Instead of complaining about the mud that's going to rise later, the gravedigger simply clicked her tongue and continued piling dirt, until a young, timid voice asked:

"Why are you putting dirt on mommy?"

Toph paused for a moment, and looked to her left to see a little girl with bright blue sparking eyes, staring straight at her. The man from earlier, her father raised his head and whispered, "Oh god..."

The gravedigger was at a brief loss of words, and managed to answer in a balanced voice, "I have to bury her, Sweetness."

"But if mommy gets buried she won't get to do all of her work!" The girl cried back, gathering the crowd's attention and causing them to stare at the two. Toph spotted a young boy next to the man, more than likely his son, who stared at his father and sister with complete sadness. The girl's father walked over and picked the nearly sobbing girl up, saying in a hushed, strained tone, "Katara-"

"Mommy said she has a lot of work to do!" Katara screamed, burying her head into her dad's shoulder. The simple phrase caused everyone to burst into tears, and Toph even felt a tear roll down her face. Almost angrily she brushed it away, and Caedite put his head in his hands, fighting hard not to let his emotions show. _The time for sadness is not now, _she thought, shoveling another thing of dirt. _That comes later..._

"No! Stop it! Stop putting dirt on mommy!"

_Or it will come soon..._

"MOMMY!"

_Way too soon..._

* * *

Slowly rising out of the depths of unconsciousness, Kya stirred as she felt a ray of sunlight on her face. Feeling returned to her body and she shuddered at the freezing stone she was lying on top of. As she rolled over, she felt that the atmosphere around her didn't feel familiar, so she experimentally cracked open one eye and scanned the room. To her surprise, she was inside the mausoleum Toph lead her to, except now the smell and sounds of rain were gone and replaced with the warm sunlight through the windows.

"Good morning, Madam Kya. Did you have a nice rest?"

Alertness flooded her system as she sat up, trying to find the source of the voice. She calmed considerably when she saw Caedite and Toph leaning in the doorway, but then went into panic when she realized what Toph especially was wearing.

"I can tell by that terror-stricken look on your face that you're not too happy seeing me like this, but it was getting way too hot in that jacket and scarf."

The gravedigger wore the same tattered and stained blue jeans, ragged Adidas cleats, and weathered baseball cap as the night before, but now was missing the forest-green scarf coving most of her face and camouflage hunting jacket. Replacing the jacket was a mucky white tank top, revealing the completely and savagely scarred light skin on her arms, shoulders, and all the way up to her neck. A sliver cross necklace dangled from the gravedigger's neck, giving her a strangely powerful aura. Just like her hands there wasn't an inch of skin not covered by a brutal slash or severe burn. Only her pale face was left unscarred, even with the tattoo.

The undertaker, instead of a suit, had a crimson t-shirt, and a black leather jacket covered that. Plain blue jeans and red and black running shoes adorned his legs and feet, and a golden watch was fastened onto his right wrist. Now without sunglasses, she saw that his eyes were a completely alarming shade of crimson. He stood upright, arms crossed behind his back, yet to Kya's eyes; those eyes seemed to stare straight at her, looking straight into her soul. His posture was one of a soldier awaiting orders, yet she saw his hands occasionally twitch from either panic or impatience.

It was as if the two had literally gone through Hell and back.

"Well, Miss Kya, would you like me to explain what's going on, or are you going to continue staring at us and sitting on that grave like some weirdo?" Toph sarcastically asked, snapping Kya out of her thoughts. The older woman blinked and looked down, and noticed she was indeed sitting on the filthy coffin, and then realized she had been _sleeping _on it.

Jumping to her feet, Kya stuttered nervously, "O-oh, um, I-I'm sorry about that..."

Toph simply laughed, startling Kya. Now that Toph wasn't completely covered in bulky clothing, Kya could see how utterly _young_ the gravedigger was. She was strangely pale, surprisingly fit, and had dark bags underneath her eyes. The gravedigger then sighed in contentment and asked Kya, "Now, like this idiot here promised, we're going to explain everything. But in order for me to do that, would you kindly give my spade to the idiot Caedite here?"

Kya tilted her head in confusion, but warily picked up the aged tool and handed it to Caedite, the former acting as if the slightest touch could break it. The undertaker took it carefully and balanced it on his shoulder, leading Kya outside and the three began walking.

Like yesterday, Toph greeted each and every gravestone they passed, and she even stopped at one and burst out laughing, startling Kya. Wiping an amused tear from her eye, Toph giggled and apologized to Kya, "Sorry, Fang just filled me in on what's happening at home."

"Home?" Kya repeated, turning towards the grave they stopped at. "What..."

**A SOLDIER OF THE GREAT WAR**

**FANG LADON**

**LOST IN THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME**

**JUNE 1890 – JULY 18 NOVEMBER 1916**

"It'll be explained in a second, Madam Kya." Caedite added, staying silent at Toph's antics. After the gravedigger calmed down, they continued walking down the rows, Toph still greeting each one.

"We're here." Caedite suddenly said, stopping in front of a certain grave. Kya paused a few steps behind them, for

The gravedigger grinned and took a few steps back.

"Walk forward."

Kya's eyes narrowed in confusion, but she stepped forward towards Toph, and all of a sudden, a wave of unrelenting pain hit her, causing her to let out a bloodcurdling scream and collapse onto her hands and knees.

"Ah, now you're receiving memories from the life you've lived and other important stuff like that."

Minutes passed, but to Kya it was like watching your entire life as a spectator. She watched herself as a child, playing with the other children on her street. She watched herself as a teenager, being asked out by a certain awkward but good-hearted blue-eyed boy. She watched herself as a young adult, being proposed to by a much more mature and still awkward young man, and getting married immediately once collage ended. She watched herself as an adult, posing with Hakoda, a fussy toddler named Sokka, and holding a blue-eyed newborn in her arms.

But then, she watched herself as an adult, walking home from getting groceries, when suddenly a white van pulled up by her and a man, clad in complete black, grab her and drag her into the van.

The next few memories were horrible; watching herself get tortured, beaten, and toyed with by the sadistic serial killer, making her feel completely sick. She felt mortified when she watched the murderer, who called himself Koh, plunged a knife into her heart and whisper:

"_It's been a long time since I've added such a pretty face to my collection..."_

And as fast as it started, the memories ended, and she found herself crying, huddled against the grave she was previously chained to. She felt Toph's presence at the end of the grave, calm and quiet.

"I...I remember now..." Kya whispered, hugging her knees to her chest. "I remember all of it now, my life, my family, and how that-that _monster_ murdered me..."

Hearing only silence, Kya turned and gasped.

Two children no longer stood before her, but instead, were only creatures she could see in her nightmares.

Caedite had the appearance of a twisted, demonic black knight; spikes adorning his features and a hood and cloak covering his face and back. His crimson eyes now glowed beneath the mask, and Kya saw that the spade that used to be in his hands, was now a gigantic, terrifying stone scythe.

Toph now had the appearance of a ghostly demon; the new forest green banded armor covering her, and the spiked chains and cross wound around her. Kya now could see a threatening, silvery aura rising off of Toph like steam, and the tattoo on her left cheek now radiated with a blood-red glow. She was crouched on top of the old tombstone next to Kya's, and the way she stood on the stone reminded Kya of how a predator would prepare itself before leaping and devouring it's prey. She grinned down at the older woman.

"Surprised, aren't you?"

Kya opened her mouth, only for no words to come out. Toph laughed, but the laugh no longer sounded _human_. It didn't sound bad or evil, but it sent a shiver down Kya's spine.

"What are you...?" Kya muttered, backing into the tombstone. "Tell me, what are you?"

"The answer, Madam Kya, is right behind you."

Slowly, Kya turned her head around to read the tombstone, and Kya felt her blood run cold.

**Here lies Kya Kuruk, amazing wife, wonderful mother, and a great friend. **

**Great in life, glorious in death. **

**Her name lives on in song and story.**

**December 14****th****, 1972 – October 8****th****, 2012**

"I am Soul Collector Toph Bei Fong, under the disguise of a gravedigger. This idiot here is Psychopomp Caedite Eos, under the disguise of this cemetery's undertaker. Like I said before, we are part of a certain kind of army, under command of the Great College of Fates. The armies we belong in fight against demons and deliver souls to their perdition or paradise."

Caedite took a step forward, and raised the scythe over his head. Toph gave Kya a mighty fanged grin, and the older woman's eyes widened.

"Don't worry; we have no idea which you'll go to anyways."

The scythe was brought down before Kya could even scream.

* * *

"Was it really necessary for you to tell her all of that?"

The Soul Collector looked over to Caedite, and the latter had a virtually translucent, sapphire colored sphere hovering over his right hand; the scythe in the other. The sphere seemed to be aflame with blue fire, and the fire flickered in a pattern, a heartbeat almost.

Stepping down from the tombstone, she shrugged her shoulders and responded plainly, "Well, they were going to tell her that when she gets there. And judging by the color of that fire, she's going to paradise."

Sighing, Caedite handed the Soul to the Soul Collector, who took it gratefully, and circled it around in her fingers. The tattoo on her cheek began to glow, but instead of red, the glow was the same shade of blue as the Soul. Unexpectedly, she clapped her hands together, crushing the sphere with a disturbing glass shattering sound. She kept her hands together for a few seconds, a shine gleaming through her fingers.

Opening her hands leisurely, a steady stream of sapphire mist rose from her hand into the air, and Caedite watched in amazement as the Soul rose in the mist towards the sky. They watched as the mist faded into the clear sky, and Kya's voice rang out in their ears:

"_Thank you..."_


	4. Chapter 4 - Guys Like Us In Prison

"_In the middle of a gun fight_

_In the center of a restaurant _

_They say, 'Come with your arms raised high!'_

_Well they're never gonna get me_

_Like a bullet through a flock of doves_

_To wage this war against your faith, in me_

_Your life, will never be the same_

_On your mothers eyes, say a prayer, say a prayer!_

_Now but I can't _

_And I don't know_

_How we're just two men as god had made us_

_Well I can't, well I can_

_Too much, too late or just not enough of this _

_Pain in my heart for your dying wish_

_I'll kiss your lips again_

_They all cheat at cards and the checkers are lost, _

_My cellmate's a killer, they make me do push-ups (in _

_drag) _

_But nobody cares if you're losing yourself...am I _

_losing myself?! _

_Well I miss my mom_

_Will they give me the chair, a lethal injection? _

_Or swing from a rope if you dare_

_Ah, nobody knows all the trouble I've seen_

_No but I can't _

_And I don't know_

_How we're just two men as God had made us_

_Well I can't, well I can_

_Too much, too late or just not enough of this_

_Pain in my heart for your dying wish_

_I'll kiss your lips again_

_To your room_

_What they ask of you _

_They'll make you want to say "So long"_

_But I don't remember_

_Why remember, YOU!_

_Do you have the keys to the hotel?! _

_I'm gonna strike the motherf**ker on fire! (FIRE!)_

_Life is but a dream for the dead, _

_And well I, I won't go down by myself_

_But I'll go down with my friends. _

_Now now now now (I can't explain)_

_Now now now (I can't complain)_

_Now now, yeah!"_

_- You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison by My Chemical Romance_

* * *

"...Holy crap, it's hot..."

The blazing sun pounded down onto the graveyard, and the gravedigger's horribly scarred skin felt like it was on fire, due to her only wearing a pair of jeans and a green sleeveless shirt. Toph paused for a moment and wiped the sweat off her brow, and the cheap radio next to the grave kept constantly went in and out of reception, the annoying static irritating the gravedigger.

"_...109 degrees Fahrenheit...Heat wave over the area...Dry heat for at least a week..."_

"Yeah, sure. A _bonfire's_ a dry heat, but you don't see me standing in one of those, do you?" Toph asked sarcastically, throwing another spade-full of dirt out of the grave. "Annoying static...I can barely hear a thing..."

Over a year after encountering Kya, the Caedite and Toph had finally gotten out of the graveyard for the first time. Toph didn't venture into the neighborhoods or actual city, just the city's outskirts and such. Everyone Toph encountered gave her odd looks, since she always wore her jacket, hat, scarf, and gloves everywhere she went, even in the alarmingly hot summer. Actually, she hadn't even spoken a word outside the cemetery before, thus everybody not even acknowledging the gravedigger. No one recognized her anyways.

Caedite was another story, for he actually went into town on a regular basis, always returning tired but with food and supplies, leading Toph to believe that he had gotten another job besides being an undertaker. As Toph and Caedite agreed, they had not gotten into each other's way and lived their lives as they wanted, yet they still both returned and stayed at the cemetery. On that day Caedite again went out and wouldn't return until noon, which Toph didn't mind, for most of the time she acted like he didn't exist, and Caedite did so as well.

Finally feed up with the static, the gravedigger impatiently grabbed the radio and began fiddling around with the knobs and antennae, grumbling, "Stupid mortal technology...so many useless buttons...I only I could read these stupid things..."

Toph's ear twitched at the rustling coming from behind her, and she called out, not even looking over her shoulder, "I know you're back there. Come out before I bash your head open with this spade."

The rustling stopped and a tiny, pitiful squeak of fear followed. Still fumbling with the undersized radio, Toph sighed and turned around and saw a small foot sticking out from behind one of the graves.

Toph huffed impatiently and shouted, "I don't think Miss Kya would like you to be hiding soiling her grave with your filthy human hands!"

The foot twitched, and the top of a child's head peeked out from behind the grave; sparkling blue eyes staring directly at the gravedigger. Toph automatically recognized the pair of eyes and calmed considerably.

"Ah, I remember you. You're Katara Kuruk, aren't you?"

Katara's head ducked behind the grave a little in fright, and Toph sighed once more. She placed the radio down and raised her arms in mock surrender, calling out, "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you."

"Are you going to bury me?"

Toph's eyes widened at the question. "What? Of course not!"

"You buried mommy, and you're digging a hole right now."

"Well, this hole isn't for you, Sweetness. It's for some guy who committed suicide two days ago. Trust me; I won't be burying _you_ for a long time."

Katara had a childish expression of skepticism, but she still slowly got out from the grave. Toph saw the young girl was a bit taller than last year at the funeral, and her brown hair was tied onto strange hair loopies, like her mother. Also, Toph saw a light blue backpack was on Katara's back, which most likely meant the young girl just got out of school. She plainly stated, "I know how to make the radio work."

Blowing her bangs out of her face, Toph lowered her arms and once more tried to make the confounded piece of machinery work, stubbornly saying, "I can make it work myself; without your help."

A small hand suddenly appeared in Toph vision, and Toph turned her head to see Katara standing right next to the grave with a mature and patient expression on her face. "Give me the radio."

"Well, someone here's a little miss know-it-all." Toph joked, but still handed the radio to the 5-year-old, and watched as Katara simply clicked two buttons and a clear stream of music came out from the radio's speakers. Toph's eyes widened and she snatched the radio out of Katara's hand, inspecting the machine muttering, "Holy crap!"

Giggling, Katara rocked back and forth on her heels saying in a sing-song voice, "I told you so!"

"No need to rub it in, Sweetness." Toph replied, but patted the 5-year-old on the head and placed the radio on the ground. "But thanks anyways."

Picking the spade back up and continuing to dig, Katara sat cross-legged on the ground next to the grave, placing the bag next to her and staring at the gravedigger with a mix of interest and caution.

"Has anyone ever told you that you smell of dead people and sweat?"

Toph chuckled and kept digging. "Well, I've never actually talked to a living person for a long time, except for you, for a long time, Sweetness. So, no. You're the first."

"What about that guy with the red eyes?"

The gravedigger chuckled, and shook her head. "We may work together, but I don't talk to that guy much."

"So, you talk to dead people?"

"Yes. And you don't?"

Katara crossed her stubby arms across her chest. "You're weird."

"Well, dead people are still people. And people get lonely when someone doesn't talk to them for a while. Wouldn't you get lonely if no one talked to you?"

"...yes."

"See? Told you so."

Katara huffed in annoyance and turned away, and Toph simply laughed. As the gravedigger continued digging, Katara opened her bag and began doing her homework.

"So, Katara, how old are you now?" Toph asked, even if she already knew the answer.

"I'm five, and in kindergarten. What grade are you in...Um..."

"My name is Toph, Sweetness. Toph Bei Fong. And I don't go to school."

Katara's jaw dropped. "You don't go to school? But if you don't go to school, you won't be able to get any good jobs!"

Toph chuckled and gestured towards the entire graveyard, "Well, this is my job."

"Oh. Do you get paid a lot?"

"Yes, but almost all the money goes into keeping this place nice and clean and not disgusting."

"What do you do with the rest of the money?"

"Food and water. Stuff like that."

"For the dead people?"

Toph rolled her eyes and answered sarcastically, "No, I burn the food for demonic sacrifices. So, you know, the people don't come back to life and eat my face off."

The gravedigger laughed at the mortified expression on Katara's face. "Just kidding. The food's for me and that 'red eye guy' too. We still have to eat."

Katara flicked some dirt angrily at Toph for tricking her and went back to her primitive homework. In a better mood, Toph kept smiling as she continued digging, and the two listened to the clear music coming through the radio:

"_This is what I brought you this you can keep,_

_This is what I brought you may forget me._

_I promise to depart just promise one thing,_

_Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep._

_This is what I brought you this you can keep,_

_This is what I brought you may forget me._

_I promise you my heart just promise to sing,_

_Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep._

_Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep."_

"Um, I need some help..." Katara muttered, tapping the eraser on her pencil against her lip. Toph looked up and asked, "What's the matter?"

"With my math..."

"With your mouth?"

"No, silly, with my math!"

"What kind of math do you have that you need help with?" Toph inquired, leaning over to look at the open notebook. In reality, Toph had no idea how to read, so she simply guessed. "Subtraction?"

"Yes, take aways."

"So you have to do subtraction? Take aways?"

"Yeah!"

"Alright, tell me what the math is."

"Okay...9 take away 5 is what?"

Leaning on her spade, Toph asked back, "Well, for you to learn, I can't just tell you the answer. How much do you think it is?"

"Um, I dunno. Is the answer 3?"

"No, but its close. Count with your fingers; raise 9 fingers and then lower five. How many will you have left up?"

Using the method, Katara slowly counted then exclaimed, "4! Is the answer 4?"

"Yes, it is actually! Good job, Sweetness!" Toph congratulated, ruffling the younger girl's hair, causing her to giggle and swat the scarred hand away. "Now, the next problem."

"_This is what I thought,_

_I thought you need me,_

_This is what I thought so think me naïve,_

_I promise you a heart you'd promise to keep,_

_Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep."_

The two continued the process of counting fingers until Katara finished her homework, while Toph simultaneously finished digging the hole. Katara cheered and fell onto her back, staring up at the bright blue sky as Toph climbed out of the hole and picking up the radio.

"Well, Sweetness, what are we going to do now?" Toph asked as they walked to the mausoleum. The 5-year-old tapped her chin saying, "I really don't know..."

"_Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep."_

"Wait, Toph?"

"Yes, Sweetness?"

"Where did you get that radio if you already use all the money?"

"Um..." Toph sheepishly scratched the back of her marked neck. "I stole it...from some small convenience store in the outskirts of town..."

"_Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep..."_

"WHAT!?"

* * *

It was a blazing hot summer day, and Mr. Yao sighed as he checked the inventory for the hundredth time, muttering, "I swear, I saw that old radio back here just yesterday."

He was pulled out of his musing by the sound of the door opening and the familiar bell, and he turned around, automatically saying, "Good afternoon, how may I help you-"

Before he could finish his sentence, the shorter person slammed the missing radio down onto the counter. Mr. Yao stared at in surprise, and then looked up at the guilty party. He was honestly shocked, for there was a rather annoyed blue-clad 5-year-old and a very guilty looking, extremely scarred 13-year-old. His jaw must have dropped at the strange sight that the younger girl giggled and the teen's face turned slightly red, and Mr. Yao noticed the tattoo on her face.

_Is this kid in some sort of gang? _The man thought, eyes narrowing. He reached for the radio and the little girl said simply, "My friend stole that yesterday. She said she was sorry."

"Saying sorry doesn't excuse stealing, darling." He replied, leaning over the counter and scanning the two. "Tell me, what are your names?"

"My name's Katara." The younger girl stated. The two turned to the teen, which lowered her head slightly and added, "I'm Toph."

"Well then, Toph, I know you may be sorry but this incident, but I still have to inform the authorities about this."

Toph swore under her breath, which Katara didn't hear but Mr. Yao noticed. His eyes narrowed as he asked, "Tell me, Toph, do your parents know about you stealing?"

The question seemed to strike a nerve, and the gravedigger froze for a few seconds. Katara sensed her companion's discomfort and asked quietly, "Is something wrong, Toph?"

"I...I don't have any parents." The gravedigger confessed, acting very much disturbed by the subject, but then added a little lie. "They've been gone for a while...I've been living in the cemetery with my...my _brother_ since last year."

"Oh." Mr. Yao's eyes softened, and so did Katara's, and Toph relaxed at knowing they bought the lie of Caedite being her sibling. "I'm sorry about that, kid."

"I don't need your pity. Just call the police and have them arrest me or whatever. I'm going to return this piece of junk to where I stole it." Toph grumbled, snatching the radio and beginning to walk in the back of the store. Katara looked back at Mr. Yao and exchanged a sad look, and Katara followed after her acquaintance undecidedly.

Mr. Yao sighed and picked up the phone once the two were out of sight. He was about to put in the number for the police station, only for the door chime to ring and a rather nervous man to step into the store.

"Good afternoon, sir. How may I help you?" Mr. Yao automatically asked, placing the phone back on its receiver. The man kept quiet, but fearfully walked around the front, peeking into the rows and back out the side windows. "Um, are you looking for something, sir? I'd be able to help you with that—"

Startlingly, the man reached into his coat pocket and whipped out a revolver, pointing it straight at a terrified Mr. Yao.

"Give me all the money in the register!" The man shouted with a noticeable amount of panic in his voice. Mr. Yao raised his hands up in alarm and backed away, too afraid to say anything. "If you try anything, I'll-I'll blow your head off!"

In the back of the store, Katara and Toph watched and heard what was happening, and Katara instinctively whimpered as Toph hid the younger girl behind her. "Katara, stay back here and don't make a sound, okay?"

The younger girl watched as the gravedigger crouched down and began to stalk up to the counter, ready to attack. The man shouted from up front, "Open the register and place all the money on the counter! Hurry up!"

At a snail's pace, she continued sneaking up to the counter; Toph took deep, even breaths and grabbed a large rake from one of the displays she passed. As she reached the end of the aisle and stepped out, the man to saw her and nearly screamed, "Hey, I see you over there! Get out of there and put up your hands!"

Swearing under her breath, Toph stepped out of the aisle and unhurriedly dropped the rake. The man saw she continued standing evenly, and he once more shouted, "Put your hands up, now, or I'll put a bullet right between your eyes!"

She gradually raised her hands up, but locked eyes with the panicking man and said reassuringly, "Calm down, man. No one's going to hurt you here. You're the one with the weapon."

The man blinked in surprise, but then replied evenly, taking deep breaths, "Yeah, I'm cool. E-everything's going to be alright..."

"My name's Toph. What's your name?" Toph asked nonchalantly, taking a tiny step forward. The man was slightly calmer, but still was panicking as he stuttered, "Tycho...My name's Tycho..."

"Tell me, Tycho, do you have anyone you care about? Friends or family?"

"Y-yeah...I have a little boy..." Tycho looked away, ashamed. "I...I got a son...His name is Jet..."

Inching forward, Toph asked in a soft tone, "Now, Tycho, what would Jet think if he saw you like this right now? Do you think he'll be proud of you for doing this?"

"S-SHUT UP!" Tycho suddenly roared, flinging the handgun in Toph's direction. "You don't know anything! You don't understand what I'm going through!"

Toph's eyes narrowed as she swore silently, and the man once more turned the gun from her to the shop owner, shouting, "Just give me the money, old man!"

"This is my money, sir. I worked hard to earn it. I will not give it to you—"

"ARE YOU DEAF!? Hand over the money right now or I'll shoot!"

_I guess there's only one option left... _Toph thought bitterly. She shouted back at Tycho, "Look, is this money going to be worth it? Will it really be worth it to make this mistake, and mess up the rest of your life?"

"Just...JUST SHUT UP!" The gun in his hands was shaking uncontrollably, and the soon to be murderer was breathing rapidly as the gun was again pointed at Toph's head. Seeing the man's resolve crumble, Toph boldly took another step and began lowering her hands, saying in a calming voice, "Look, you don't have to do this. You can still stop this before you mess up not only your life, but your son's life. Just put the gun away, and walk out. My friend and I won't say anything about this, and no one will get in trouble. It'll be a second chance not to mess up everything."

"Just put the gun down."

Time seemed to freeze for Tycho, and the gun in his hands felt heavy. His own mind was rushing with different thoughts and making it hard to concentrate, and panic had seized his entire being. He needed the money, or he and Jet would starve, and Jet would be taken away. But if he did get the money, he'd be arrested, and he'd never see his son again...

But, he still had a gun...

Finally, after a few second of tense silence, Tycho made his decision.

The gunshot ran out throughout the entire street, accompanied by Katara's mortified scream.

* * *

To say Katara was scared would be a massive understatement. As she hid behind the aisle, she watched as her new friend stood before the scary man with the gun, and the shopkeeper behind the counter. From her father being in the military, he had told her about guns and that they were incredibly dangerous, so her eyes never left the gun in the man's hands.

"Just put the gun down."

Even though Katara was young, she wasn't stupid. She knew this man, Tycho, was stealing this money for a reason, yet she didn't know what reason. Watching helplessly as the man's hands began to shake and sweat roll down his face, and she was genuinely impressed and stupefied at how calm Toph looked. Katara could have sworn that Toph was even smiling, but she couldn't tell from the tiny opening in the shelf where she was looking from.

Completely unexpectedly, the man's shaking hands flinched as the man squeezed the trigger and Toph intuitively leapt back.

A burst of sparks and smoke burst from the gun, and the sound caused Katara to instinctively scream in absolute terror and duck her head. Doing so, she wasn't able to see that Tycho was equally startled by the scream as his now crazed eyes darted in her direction.

Mr. Yao, now ducked behind the counter, watched as Tycho advanced towards the shelf were Katara was hiding, yet he was helpless to do anything. The shopkeeper's eyes turned to where he expected Toph's dead body to be, but instead he saw something that left his dumbfounded.

Katara heard Tycho's footsteps come closer and closer to the shelf, and it took all of her self control to not cry. The shelf suddenly tipped over and she threw her hands over head in terror, now bawling as Tycho loomed over her, gun in hand.

"I...I can't leave any witnesses now..." Tycho whispered in a deadpan voice, and his arm almost automatically lifted and was pointed at Katara. "Sorry, little girl..."

"If you even lay a finger on her and I'll send you down to a deep, dark place..."

Both Katara and Tycho's eyes widened, and Tycho wasn't able to turn in time as he was tackled to the ground and a fire extinguisher knocking the revolver from his hand. Head rising back up, she chocked back a happy sob once she saw who saved her.

"And I'm going to have fun sending you there..." Toph hissed, a stream of blood dripping from the both the nick in her ear and her ruptured eardrum. She had Tycho pinned to the ground, hands clenched around his throat. He sputtered and gasped, but when he regained feeling to his arms, he had no problem punching Toph straight in the gut, knocking her off of him.

The man scrambled to his feet as Toph fell onto her back, knocking the wind right out of her. She hastily reached for the fire extinguisher from her position on the floor as the man rushed for his gun. Right as he ran to it, however, the fire extinguisher smashed into the back of his head at an astonishing force, knocking him right out.

Breathing heavily with both ear and stomach throbbing painfully, Toph dropped the extinguisher next to the man's unconscious body and sighed tiredly. She turned to Katara, who was sitting on the floor sniffling and sobbing, and limped over to her.

"Hey, Sweetness? Are you okay—?" Toph was cut off as the smaller girl literally leapt at the gravedigger, nearly knocking them both over due to Toph's current lack of strength. The gravedigger froze in both slight pain and shock as Katara began sobbing into her stomach, repeatedly chanting, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

"Why are you sorry, Sweetness?" She replied in a soft tone, kneeling down to be eye to eye with the girl. Katara sniffled and wiped her nose, yet tears still ran down her face and Toph continued, "I should be sorry, I almost got you hurt..."

"No, you saved me, silly!" Throwing her arms around Toph's neck, she began crying to Toph's shoulder, and this time the gravedigger hugged the girl back. "I-I though the man had...had put you to _sleep_...like how _mommy_ went to _sleep_..."

"Shh...It's alright, Sweetness..." Toph muttered back in a comforting tone, which only caused Katara to cry more. "I'm not going to sleep; I'm not going anywhere. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you, you got that?"

Mr. Yao smiled slightly at the heartwarming scene before him, until he heard the faint police sirens in the distance. He saw Toph heard it too, for she released the girl and stood slowly, and saw that she winced at the movement of her stomach. He saw also noticed that the blood running from her ear wasn't stopping. As the gravedigger turned to him, he smiled fondly and asked, "That ear isn't looking too good. Do you want me to call the hospital as well?"

"Nah, my ear will be fine. I heal quickly anyways, and I don't want those police to find me here." Toph responded, hand impulsively reaching for her aching stomach. Mr. Yao saw this and turned for a second, grabbing something on the counter behind him, and then handing Toph a box of bandages and gauzes. She opened her mouth to object but he cut her off, saying, "I owe you much more than you owe me, Ms. Bei Fong. You may come back to this store anytime you like and have anything you want for free, as long as it's reasonable alright?"

A slight smile on her face, Toph asked, "So, the radio incident's behind us?"

Mr. Yao smiled.

"What radio?"

* * *

**NEXT CHAPTER - A day with Caedite out in the city, where he makes a certain boomerang-loving friend...**


End file.
